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Rathenal
Rathenal was the capital region of the Thalmann Legacy before its union with the Niemida Prefecture. Geography Rathenal has a diverse range of features, going from beautiful coast-land to lush, green forest to steep, rugged mountainsides. The coast is predominantly filled with a sheer cliff, called Knife of the Sea by the locals, that juts out into the ocean for quite some distance. However as one travels alongside the cliff it slowly grows less steep and the height lowers so where it connects to the mainland it is almost ground level. On either side of the end of the Knife you come across great, flat beaches that stretch for miles on either side of the large cliff. While the beaches stretch for quite some distance it only takes a few minutes of walking before reaching the forest. The forest isn't actually one large forest but three with short strips of plains separating them. These plains are not suitable for farming thanks to the small area size and rough soil, so the only really remarkable feature of them would be the homes of the wood cutters. The forests themselves harbor large, hardy trees called Geras Trees along with a small assortment of smaller plant life. The Geras Tree has very long lifespan yet a surprisingly fast growth rate too, leading them to become giants of nature in these forest. One old Geras Tree is so large that it is almost twice the height of every other adult Geras Tree in the forest and has been nicknamed Father Geras. After the forest comes the final stretch of the region: the mountain. Although only one side of the mountain is considered to actually be in the region, it is still large enough to take up a third of the area. The side of the mountain is not very steep itself but is filled with small cliffs that make climbing it difficult. It also has an unusually large amount of caves, a few of which can go quite far into the heart of the mountain. The most obvious and striking feature of the mountainside would be the so called “Spear of the Mountain King” a huge, jagged piece of Orichalcum shaped, appropriately, as a spearhead that pierces the sky. The Spear is actually a small city as the deposit has been hollowed out by the locals over thousands of years, so much so that the locals cannot mine out any more of the Orichalcum or the entire city may start collapsing on itself. People The people of Rathenal are a diverse group of humans, culturally as well as physically. The humans that live in the forest are quite tall and muscular, fit for chopping down the large trees in the forest. The humans that live on the mountain side are short yet dexterous, excelling at both climbing the mountain’s terrain and navigating the caves. Those that live near the beaches or on the Knife are of average height but have a darker complexion than the others, but are good crafters and tradesmen to the other clans. But the one thing that all of the groups share in common is the long life span, able to outlive other humans by a decade, or in rare cases, two. Regardless of where they live, all tribes within Rathenal practice a basic form of eugenics, which has deep ties with their ancestor worship. This has caused intermixing between the tribes to be quite rare, rare enough for all of the tribes to keep their own distinct features but not for offspring between two different tribes to be unheard of. Resources Veins of Orichalcum are found through the mountainside, the locals using the cave systems to locate the majority of them. The local forests are filled with good quality timber. The locals may work for days to feel a single tree but that one tree provides a huge amount of timber to use. The local trees produce a fruit, the size of a orange but with a gooey texture, known as Geras Fruit. It tastes extremely tart. Locals that eat it throughout their lives tend to live a few years longer than their average fellow. The Rathenal region has a deficiency of game. The forest do not provide enough food for large animals, leaving birds as the primary source of meat. But as the population has grown, even the birds are not enough to sustain Rathenal. Religion The people of Rathenal value heroic deeds and achievements in their ancestors, using these to help prove their own capabilities. This has lead to most households keeping a long and detailed list about their ancestors, as the longer you can trace your family line the more deeds you get announce. Preforming great deeds while alive is considered the greatest honor you can give your ancestors and assures that your descendants have better position in the tribe. References http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18775581&postcount=1173 Category:Regions Category:Former Capital Regions Category:Regions of Telluris Category:Former Tellurian Capital Regions